Friday, 29 April 2016

I've been gone longer than I meant to due to some internet problems and also not being able to upload the picture for this week so excuse me for that. It's been an exhausting week and an exhausting month so it will be a short, to the point entry today. Reserved for just such an occasion, I had at the ready a photo of another well-loved item in my home, for the 'I love' series.

This time round it is one of only two decorative items that grace our main bathroom's vanity counter. Less is truly more, especially in places where it is easy to require not only much surface space to work but also where functional items (in this case hair brushes, toothbrushes, make up mirror etc) tend to accumulate, though I do always try to keep it all tidy. So here it is:

A gift I received last Christmas, and one I loved on sight. In between its vintage vibe and that it matches my bathroom's colour scheme perfectly, this was one gift from my sister-in-law (thanks again sis!) that will be treasured for years to come. Just the 'something pretty' my bathroom needed to be complete.

Saturday, 16 April 2016

It's that time of year again, when my family and I eagerly make our way to St Monica School, in Birkirkara (Malta), for a show that can never be forgotten.

Year after year this school reveals to the world how even youngsters can present a brilliant performance of professional standard, if only they have the right support and help from adults, in their case in the form of teachers, Sisters and school staff as well as parents.

From a reproduction of Pocahontas to Cinderella's enchanted carriage, the vibrant costumes accompanying Lion King's 'Circle of Life' and saddening scenes from Les Misérables, the minute details from every scene from every play I ever attended at this school's yearly event remain with me in memory for the amazing professionalism with which they are put together and presented.

This year, the school presents A Showcase of Classic Musicals, taking us on a journey of music, dance and song that we'll definitely recognise from musicals we all love. The hundred and eighty strong cast is made up of girls of all ages, ranging from cute little Grade 1 five-year-olds to the teens in classes up to Form 4.

Tickets to watch this year's fascinating show are now available from St Monica School, Birkirkara (tel no 21490992). The show, which runs daily from Friday 22nd April to Sunday 24th April, starts at 7pm. Tickets sell at 8 euro for adults and 5 euro for children under ten.

Saturday, 9 April 2016

I promised in my last entry that I'd be back with an interesting review. I was talking about a review of current best-selling book The Miniaturist which has been widely commended. My personal views are mixed about the text and the story, but I'll not spoilt it by giving bits of the review away. May I add that this book was kindly sponsored by Agenda Bookshop. Here it is, a link to the review on eve.com.mt:

Saturday, 2 April 2016

It's been a weird kind of week, especially as I was away from home for quite a few days so it's all been quite different to the usual routine. However I must say that I have made a few revelations along the way albeit maybe silly ones to the rest of the world:

There are things I love and there are things that make my life practical and I truly missed one of the latter when I omitted to pack my manicure set for my trip. It's not just about vanity although I have to admit I did miss my tweezers (don't mirrors always show you those errant facial hairs when you have no tweezers on hand?) My nail scissors would have come in handy too seeing as my son's toenails were starting to grow too long and I even needed to get a tag off a new cap I bought. I don't think I'll be forgetting to pack my set again after the numerous times I missed it!

By the time I left home on Easter afternoon, our kitchen was full of figolli (a traditional Maltese Easter baked good with an almond filling) and chocolate in all shapes, all of them gifted to us. The sheer number of sweets continued to rise when my son was given so many more chocolate gifts at the in-laws' by various family members. My first instinct was to start making a dent in our supplies in order to manage to go through all the sweet items before they went bad and guiltily ate on and on whilst wondering would my office pants fit again following the short recess and also wondering how I'd manage to get the piling weight off again. Then I had an eureka... why was I eating the stuff just to avoid it going bad when after all, it's not like sugary stuff is even good for us?! So am trying to limit my intake and rather than feeling like we're on a marathon I decided that there's nothing wrong if we don't finish it all after all! We'll enjoy it while it lasts without pigging out and if any of it goes bad well then that's tough luck.

A final revelation, one which was quite shocking to me, was that Minimalism can't be explained to someone who clearly loves 'stuff'. Unless there is already at the least a curiosity in reducing to make a change in your life then there is no understanding how one can prefer to and actually love more the idea of living with less. I might not be the most eloquent of people when trying to explain something face to face (maybe that's why I love writing so much!) but I did get the feeling that my listener was already set to dislike my reasoning simply because I said I ditch stuff and don't mind that and that I don't 'need' it, even when it comes to sentimental items. I guess it's taught me not to go about saying I'm a Minimalist in this country, just as my mind said I shouldn't but I never do listen to myself it seems before trying something and tripping up!

So that's all from me for today but keep tuned as I'll be linking an interesting review next time.

About Me

I'm a thirty-three-year-old working mother who dreams big dreams of various kinds. I'd love to live in Central London, mingle with the wittiest English personalities and make my living from writing. However I have to say I live on the island of Malta, have an office job and mingle mostly with loads of washing and dirty dishes in the sink.